BOTSWANA RECORDS 2 CASES OF INDIA VARIANT

MBABANE - The COVID-19 variant originating from India seems to be spreading swiftly in Southern Africa.

This, after the variant was confirmed to be in Botswana on Monday night. International media houses reported that Botswana reported two cases of the COVID-19 B.1.617 variant which was first identified in India.
The variant in India is believed to be highly infectious, hence the spike in COVID-19 cases and deaths in that country. Currently, the infection rate in India is over 300 000 per day.

Investigation

According to international reports, the two cases were detected on May 13 following a case investigation involving people of Indian origin who arrived in that country on April 24, according to a press released from the country’s (Botswana) Ministry of Health and Wellness. “The two cases are currently receiving medical care and remain stable with no life-threatening symptoms. All contacts have been evacuated to facility based quarantine and isolation for close monitoring, respectively,” reads the report in part.

Worth noting is that Botswana is one of the countries which is within close proximity to Eswatini as it is 829 kilometres away. Also, there is a lot of trade between the two countries as they are under the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU), placing the kingdom at high risk of the India variant. Over a week ago, four cases of the COVID-19 B.1.617 variant were detected in South Africa. According to eNCA, the Department of Health confirmed that the variant dominant in India had been detected in South Africa.

“Four people living in South Africa have tested positive for the variant. A further 11 people have tested positive for the variant first detected in the UK. Of the four people who tested positive, two are in Gauteng and the other two are in KwaZulu-Natal and have a history of a recent arrival from India. “According to the health department, all the cases have been isolated and managed according to the national COVID-19 case management guidelines. Contact tracing is also being conducted,” said the eNCA. According to Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula, Eswatini was still clear of the India variant. Dr Magagula said this when sought for comment yesterday.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: